Fever
by misspatchesmom
Summary: Tony DiNozzo finds himself locked in a small room with a woman who is oddly familiar.


Fever

_Tony DiNozzo is locked in a small room with a stranger who seems oddly familiar._

He looked at the dark-haired woman opposite him in the small room they'd just been locked into. Her long dark curls cascaded over her shoulder and her olive-toned skin spoke of exotic lands. He scowled at her as he spoke.

"Tony DiNozzo, Baltimore PD, homicide chief of detectives," he flashed his badge and ID as he identified himself to her. Who was she and why was she intruding on his case?

"Ziva David, assistant deputy director of Mossad," her curt reply caught him off guard. She quickly flashed credentials and glared at him. So this was the American police officer who'd messed up her undercover operation…

Tony pushed on the door they'd just entered through; no handle or lock were showing inside the room and the door appeared to be un-openable from inside. The Mossad agent was checking out the other closed doorway, through which his suspect had disappeared just as the two currently in the room realized that each was present. That momentary distraction had allowed the man to escape and somehow lock them into this room.

He watched as she kicked the flat panel, muttering something that was not a language he understood, but sure sounded like some sort of cursing. She pulled a knife from the pocket of her cargo pants and tried to run it into the thin gap around the door without luck.

"Face it, Ms. Mossad, we're stuck in here until someone on the outside decides to let us out," he watched her turn towards him with the knife in her right hand.

"Just because YOU are abandoning up the ghost does not mean that I am," she waved the knife to emphasize her point.

He backed away slightly from her; no desire to get cut with her knife at all. "I didn't say I was giving up the ghost or abandoning ship; all I'm saying is that we aren't getting out the usual way." He locked gazes with her; the chocolate orbs drew him in despite the fire raging behind them.

She stared back at him; she could get lost in the emerald green eyes… She shook her head slightly to clear her thoughts. She needed to focus on the situation at hand; being locked in a room with someone she did not know was not high on her list of favorite things to do. An attractive someone of the male… _stop, focus_.

"Well then, how DO you propose that we get out of this situation?" she gestured her hand in a small circle to indicate the room in which they were currently standing. She leaned towards him maintaining eye contact; she was determined to have him be the first to break the gaze, even if it meant that she violated all personal boundaries.

"I. Don't. Know." Two could play this game; he leaned towards her until their noses were only about two inches apart. She smelled of jasmine and vanilla; her olive-toned skin… _Damn, DiNozzo, focus on the present situation… _"If you hadn't got in the middle of my case…"

"Ha! YOUR case? YOU have managed to get into the middle of MY undercover operation," she retorted. She refused to back down even though their faces were only inches apart. His green eyes pulled her in… _Focus on the situation, David._

Tony breathed in; her scent tickled not just his sense of smell. "I suggest that we systematically examine the entire room, Ms. David. Surely somewhere in here there has to be a secret switch or button or something to open the doors."

Ziva had to admit his idea was a good one, "That is a good plan actually. If someone were locked in here accidentally, they should have a way to get out. I will start in this corner." She pointed to the nearest corner. "Perhaps you should start in a different corner?"

"Nope; corner's too obvious. We both start in the middle of this wall and work in opposite directions," he pointed to the wall beside them.

"Fine," she huffed and knelt down next to him in the center of the stark white wall. "You are a better investigator than the reports on you indicate." She examined the baseboard and moved upward, inch by inch, as he processed her back-handed compliment.

"Wait, what reports?" He was mirroring her movements as the two searched the wall for any hidden way to open the doors.

"My intelligence reports on Anthony D. DiNozzo, Junior," she smirked and turned back to examining the wall.

They found nothing on the first wall; each moved to a parallel wall on the sides of the room that contained the two doors. He could feel her eyeing him as he worked, but each time he turned to her she quickly turned away. He took a few opportunities to give her the once over as well. Her curves were intriguing him and the curls of her hair just called to him in way he could not explain. Thin, but not reedy; small bust, but curvy hips; those chocolate brown eyes…

Ziva snuck several peeks at the man opposite; he seemed much more competent than her intel suggested. She liked the overall shape of his body; toned but not a lot. Broad chest and muscular arms; nice ass; those green eyes… He caught her looking and grinned at her; damn if her insides weren't melting just a bit. She smiled back at him.

God that woman's smile made his heart race; under different circumstances, he'd be trying some of his come-on lines on her to gauge her reaction. She had an assured and confident sensuality about her; she definitely knew how to use her body and her womanly charms to get what she wanted.

He almost missed the subtle change in the wall, distracted by his thoughts of HER. The color change was barely perceptible, and when he tapped the wall in various places, the sounds were markedly different.

"I think there's a window here," he observed. "Listen to the sound differences." He tapped the wall in several places as she listened and nodded. As she moved closer, he changed to a whisper, "I wonder if we are being observed."

"Perhaps," she moved her mouth close to his ear before she replied. She turned and helped him explore the possible window further, tapping to find the edges of the glass area. He pulled a pen from his pocket and marked the borders of the window with lightly placed slashes. As she put her hand out for the pen to place marks on her side, their hands brushed together. The charge of energy that passed between them did not go unnoticed by either.

Tony loosened his tie and opened the buttons on his suit jacket; the temperature in the room was definitely ascending. Her warm breath on his ear and cheek did not help matters at all. She noticed his reaction and smirked to herself; if she wanted to use her womanly wiles as part of her bag of tricks, this man would be an easy mark.

The pair continued to explore the room, marking any unusual patterns, color changes, or observations with his pen. They worked side by side; personal space was no longer existent. Tony removed his jacket and tie as the temperature continued its upward climb. Each time the pair accidentally made contact, the electric spark between them became stronger. He found himself wondering what it would be like to kiss her, to make love to her; he had to snap himself out of his daydreams more than once.

Ziva tried to stay focused on the task at hand; finding a way to escape the locked room was a priority after all. She was distracted by the warmth coming off the man next to her; she found herself daydreaming about what was under the clothing he had been removing and loosening. Several times, she had to snap herself back to reality, especially after the pair made contact.

They'd finished the first inspection of the walls and floor; several areas of interest, including the probable window were marked for further exploration and inspection. Tony turned and bumped into Ziva. She placed a hand on his chest to steady herself. He felt fire where she touched his body and as she leaned into him, the thought that he might spontaneously combust crossed his mind.

Ziva realized the effects the close proximity to the other was having on both of them. She leaned into the man, putting her face nearly in his. She could feel her pulse quicken as she pressed herself against his body.

Tony felt her hand move to his face and slowly caress his cheek. He looked at her face, just about in his own, and felt the beads of sweat forming around the inside of his collar and on his forehead. He was burning up; the lyrics of Peggy Lee's classic ran through his brain like a mantra. _When you put your arms around me I get a fever that's so hard to bear. You give me fever (you give me fever) when you kiss me. Fever when you hold me tight (you give me fever.)Fever in the mornin'. Fever all through the night. You give me fever…_

He closed his eyes for a minute; her face still was in his vision even with eyes shut. Everything else faded away but the face of the Israeli woman… Tony blinked and opened his eyes, frowning in confusion. He was lying on his back, attached to a nasal cannula; two IV lines, one in each arm, further tethered him to the bed. Where was he?

"Hey there, neshama," a familiar voice caused him to turn his head in the direction from which it came. A hand caressed his face with a cool cloth and a second hand clasped his hand on the side from whence the voice came.

"What, where?" he croaked in a hoarse whisper.

The face of the woman appeared in front of his eyes; the smile on her face filled him with love and he recognized his soulmate. "Shh. You are in the hospital with pneumonia. You have been semi-conscious for two days and burning up with fever. Your temperature spiked about an hour ago and then started going down."

"Oh," he rasped. "You here the whole time?"

Ziva nodded and wiped the cool washcloth over his face again, "Of course; I would not leave your side. Ani ohevet otcha, Tony." She gave him that smile she had just for him and he felt the tears form in his eyes. He could see tears sliding down her cheeks.

"Ani ohev otach, Ziva. You would not believe the weird dream I just had." He squeezed her hand in his and grinned that thousand megawatt grin he saved just for her.

"Shush for now and rest my love. You can tell me all about it later," she pressed a gentle kiss to his lips and stroked his face with her hand. "I am just glad you are back with me."

_(November 2033; part of the "You Complete Me" universe. Tony's health scare at Thanksgiving 2033 in chapter 27 in the mother ship.)_


End file.
